Pinus engelmannii
Platanus wrightii
Arbutus arizonica
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Madrean Sky Islands Montane Forests
(Sierra Madre Occidental Pine-Oak Forests) (WWF
ecoregion
NA0302)
Madera Canyon, southeastern Arizona
Source of bioregions data:
Olson, D. M. and
E. Dinerstein. The Global 200: Priority ecoregions for global conservation. (PDF
file) Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden 89:125-126.
Distinctiveness (1=highest,4=lowest): 1
(globally outstanding)
In the United States, this ecoregion is an archipelago of mountaintops
surrounded by xeric grass and shrublands. The dynamic history and
isolation of the forested peaks has produced unusual evolutionary phenomena.
Mixing of suptropical and temperate organisms has also created unusual
ecological assemblages. The Madrean Sky Islands in the U.S. are a northern
extension of the Mexican Sierra Madre Occidental mountain system.*
Conservation Status (1=most endangered, 5=most
intact): 4 (relatively stable in U.S.)
Overgrazing, recreational pressure, military use, and development are threats.
In Mexico, much of the forests have been cleared through logging and
agriculture.*
- Characteristic species*
Pinus leiophylla var. chihuahuana (Chihuahuan pine)
Pinus cembroides (Mexican pinyon)
Pinus arizonica var. arizonica (Arizona pine)
Quercus hypoleucoides
(silverleaf oak)
- Quercus arizonica (Arizona white oak)
- Quercus emoryi (Emory oak)
- Quercus rugosa (netleaf oak)
Juniperus deppeana
(alligator juniper)
Arctostaphylos pungens (pointleaf manzanita) (c) 2004
Maurice J. Kaurmann
Some Arizona plants
Some views from the ecoregion
Madera Canyon, southeastern Arizona
Transition to shrubland on lower slopes
hires
Oak-pine woodland vegetation
hires
Pinus engelmannii (Apache pine)
hires
Platanus wrightii (Arizona sycamore) hires
Arbutus arizonica
(Arizona madrone) hires
* Ricketts, T.H., E. Dinerstein, D.M. Olson, C.J.
Loucks, et al. (1999) Terrestrial Ecoregions of North America: A
Conservation Assessment. World Wildlife Fund - United States and Canada.
Island Press, Washington, D.C. pp. 258-260.
Except as noted, images copyright 2002-2004 Steve Baskauf -
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